|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-02-22 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 17:3-6 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
3. …. I am determined not to sin in what I say. 4. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. 5. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you. 6. I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David went before the Lord in prayer, not as a stranger, but one who had already aligned himself with the laws and will of God. Because of this, he went confidently before God, KNOWING that God would answer his prayers. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Oh to have the heart, determination and will of David! Too often we barge into conversations with God, demanding our own way and expecting God to respond like a puppet would, to all of our wishes and demands. But what if God truly responded to us exactly in the same way that we think things should go? What an awful mess that would be friends! I believe our attitude for prayer must be one of honor and gratitude for who God truly is. Then there is Scripture that guides us into the remaining attributes of prayer, for in 2 Chronicles 7:14 we are told that if we are truly known as His children, in fact, if we are called by His name, and if we get off our ‘high horses’ and humble ourselves and pray with every intention and determination to turn from our wicked and sinful ways, then He would hear from the Father and heal us and all there is around us (our land). Friends, this is not rocket science, nor is it unreasonable, for which of you will walk up to a total stranger and ask for anything substantial with full confidence that they would reach into their treasury of physical assets and just start handing them over to you? May I suggest to you that although my Savior knows each of us intimately and, while I am convinced that He will hear your cry, I believe that He is wanting most of all to know that your greatest need is first and foremost and that need is attended to first. Friends, if you are not seeking God’s face as your own personal Savior and Lord, then no matter what your other needs are today, there is one that stands out in priority – you must be born again – new birth in Jesus Christ. This requires a conversation (prayer) with the Master, where you would surrender self to Him, and invite Him to rule and reign in Your life. There is no greater need of mankind today friend, and there is none more important, for what if you gained the whole world through your own efforts and finances, but yet have no hope of tomorrow, or a Savior that you would know is your very own Lord and Father over all the earth? Jesus is the key to heaven friend, know Him and know total peace for today and always. I would be tickled to death to introduce my Lord to you! Drop me a note using the contact information below. I might also suggest that you click on the link below ‘To Know Jesus’ and there you will find scriptural references on what you might do to have eternal life. I look forward to meeting you in the most exciting worship service ever – at the feet of Jesus when we graduate to heaven!! Oh, what a day that will be!! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord You are good, and Your mercies are everlasting. You have opened the means of us communicating with You and seeking Your face. You have shown us the way to Your throne and ultimately to the glories of heaven with You and Your Father! What a blessed people we are! Lord, I am concerned about my friends that might read this devotional and brush off the truths of Your Word. There may be some that will seek Your hand for all they may need or want, but who may ignore the fact of first knowing You intimately. Please soften the hearts of the hardened, and please touch the hearts that simply read and choose to ignore a relationship with You. Thank You Lord for being available to us, and for loving us enough to demonstrate it through the sacrifice You made on Calvary. I am eternally thankful, and I desperately want to see all my readers, friends and family accept You as Lord, so that we may one day rejoice together around Your eternal throne. I commend them to You Lord. Thank You dear Lord Jesus! AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Tag: salvation
Walk the Talk
|
Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-01-27 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 10:5-8 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I found it interesting that for the first task Jesus would give to His disciples, His helpers, His ministers, He would tell them to go and minister to the church – His chosen people – the Jews. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| There is a powerful message for pastors and evangelists in these verses today, as well as to the churches, I feel, for I’m afraid that many are attending church meetings with a false sense of security, feeling like they must be ‘OK’ to stand before God if they, at least attend church. Friends, we could spend as many nights sleeping in our garage as we want, but we will never become a car! Therefore, no matter how many church services we attend, if we have not been obedient to the gospel, we may have merely warmed a seat at the church for an hour or so each week. The Word of God is very clear that heaven is a place for those who have surrendered their lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Like the Jews to whom Jesus sent His disciples, although they are God’s chosen people, they too will not see heaven unless they also have accepted Jesus as Lord of their individual lives. You see, this is not something the king, or president could bestow upon their people, it’s not something every pastor could pray down for you, or that grandma’s excellent reputation as a very godly person could pass on to you. It’s all about a personal decision you made, and a personal relationship with Jesus that you live out each and every day. I believe that another reason Jesus wanted to see His chosen people saved, and our church-goers today saved, is that it would never work to evangelize the lost outside of the fold, and have them join a fellowship of church-goers only to be poisoned by their lack of faith and evil living. Friends, to truly believe that the church has an awesome responsibility to not only see the lost saved, but to be conditioned to disciple, encourage and bless them as they come to the church for fellowship and growth in the new Christian walk. Pretense not only sends a person to Hell, but it also harms the one who is trying to live a true and sincere Christian life. Perhaps Jesus is asking you to examine yourself, in the light of His presence, and confirm that your heart is sold out to the Lord Jesus and that you are wholly and solely living the walk that you sometimes talk about. Please be sure that you not harm your chance of heaven and be a stumbling block to others trying to do the same. If there is guilt, may I suggest that you use the advice and Bible references given in my Footnote to clear up your position with Jesus Christ? If you are confident in your claim as a believer in Jesus Christ, may I encourage you to walk daily in the light of His Word, so that He will not be ashamed of You when you see Him face to face, nor will you be a stumbling block to anyone following your example. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we live each day in a way to honor our parents; honor our spouse; or honor our boss; and I believe that many times we succeed at that. Please help us that we will live in Your way, so that when we stand before You we will hear ‘well done good and faithful servant’, because we have represented You well each day and that You were honored to send lost ones our way so that You could use us to ‘rub off’ on them. Lord there have been so many disappointments in Your churches over the years that unbelievers probably look at us as a bunch of hypocrites. Oh how I pray today that Your church will represent You fairly and squarely in every aspect of our walk and talk so that we may be effectively used by You to reach the lost. I am convinced that the work must start within the church. Beginning with me, please give us a renewed mission to be Your witness in our communities. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
The Awe of Our Wonderful Lord
|
Post Date: |
Wednesday, 2017-01-25 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 8:3, 4, 9 (CEV) |
|
Text: |
3 I often think of the heavens
your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 4 Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” 9 Our LORD and Ruler,
your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| I believe that David had one of those moments where, in his mind, he stopped everything around him and, as he gazed into the heavens and marveled at the beauty of what God had provided, his heart was overwhelmed and he burst into a time of worship to the Master. David was reminded that yes, God placed mankind on earth to rule over, or lord over everything that He created, but he was also reminded that many of the other things made by the Master is nowhere as rebellious and unthankful as mankind is. I wonder how many ranchers will tell you about the cattle that protest against certain grasses fed to them, or the bitter cold or heat they endure from time to time. They just don’t protest and show their lack of gratitude to the Creator who placed them here on this earth. So David took time to give glory to the One responsible for not only creating the cattle and the skies and stars, but also for caring for comparable insignificant and ungrateful mankind. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I realize that we don’t all recognize God’s wonderment in the same way as David did, but if we were to stop and reflect on our typical day, I wonder which moment in our day lends itself to opening our eyes to God’s handiwork. If your mornings are as rushed as many that I hear about, then you probably don’t have time to eat, nor reflect on the goodness of God. My drive to work may be different to many, for I could see God’s handiwork in the skies and pastures, plus the birds and wild animals that sometimes cross my path. But for you city folk, that’s something you could only imagine! If your jobs are like mine, then we hardly have time to remember our spouse during the day, so reflecting on the awesome God that created us may be a stretch for many. Evenings are either filled with meetings for the involved and dedicated, or good TV shows for those who choose to just relax. So when do we find time to truly reflect on the goodness of our faithful Creator? As you can tell from the daily schedule that I painted for you, we can easily say that we just don’t have time, but let me offer to pay you $20 to drive 5 miles to the nearest coffee shop and bring me a cup of their best coffee and a sweet Danish each morning, and I bet that most of you will find time to do that, right? After all, that will pay your gas bill for a few days! So is it really a matter of time, or is it more a matter of priority? Time alone with God fits in that same predicament. You have to decide if your relationship with God is worth prioritizing time with Him every day, and we must always be mindful of the wonderful works of the Master – whether in nature, or each other, or in His provisions for our daily living. Let me assure you friend, our Savior loves us just as we are, and unconditionally. He showed that love in a way that has not been repeated by anyone – He willingly surrendered His life on a cruel cross so that we may have access to the Father because of His sacrifice. To stop and think on that alone, especially at times when we are mad at the world for the least little thing, is worth moments of praise to the Father! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Wonderful Savior, glorious Lord, to You we sing our song of praise for all that You are and all that You have done for us. Because of You, we have the hope of eternity with You our Heavenly Father in heaven. As David reminded us in scripture today, who are we that a Kind should live and die for? Father, please forgive us for our ungrateful spirit, for we prioritize every other aspect of our lives, except time with You. I ask for personal forgiveness, and I ask that You touch the hearts of my readers that we might be drawn back to the cross where You presented Yourself in obedience to Your Father, just for our salvation. May we be constantly reminded of this precious gift and never fail to worship and thank You for loving us so much. Thine be the glory, the honor and the praises, dear Jesus, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Who Has Top Priority In Your Life?
|
Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Genesis 22:9-12 (TLB) |
|
Text: |
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood in order, ready for the fire, and then tied Isaac and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10 And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to plunge it into his son, to slay him. 11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Abraham had proven God in many ways already in his life, for we remember that he and Sarah were unable to have children, then God ‘opened his wife’s womb’ and blessed them with a son, to begin with. But in the scripture we see where God is now testing Abraham beyond anything we could ever imagine, for He asked Abraham to take his favorite son and sacrifice him at a mountain where He would lead he and Isaac to. I can’t help but think of the parallel between this testing of Abraham and the sacrifice made by God himself when He sacrificed His beloved Son, Jesus, on a cruel cross at Calvary. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, and so did Jesus in the case of carrying the wood for the cross He would be crucified on. Abraham was determined to be obedient, right down to sacrificing his dearly loved son, Isaac, if that’s what God instructed him to do, and to show his commitment and allegiance to Almighty God. Jesus was also willingly sacrificed by His Father to show God’s love for the world, and His desire to save mankind from their sin. This was God’s top priority. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When we consider what, or who, is the top priority in someone’s life, we tend to look at the area where they spend most of their time or money. I’ve always heard that looking at a man’s bank statement will tell you where his priorities are! Wouldn’t it be interesting to also ask a man to sacrifice one of these top priorities, even for a period of time? I am participating in a period of prayer and fasting that 8 local churches have committed to for 21 days. Individuals have sought God’s help to fast from the very item that tends to consume much of their time, energy or consumption, and during this 21 days, replace that with prayer and directly seeking God’s face. Friends, this is leading our county into a supernatural revival of our people, for we are finding out that there is only one thing that deserves our attention and priority in life, the very thing that has everlasting hope and eternal benefits. It is unfortunate, but when the things of this world become so prominent in our lives, the Lord Jesus becomes so dimly unimportant. We blame a lot of our non-commitment on the lack of time that we have to do the will, or work, of the Lord. You know, we have taken on so much of this world’s things and habits, that it takes most of our day to keep those things flourishing. Please allow me to share one tip that will help you deal with God on the lack of time that you spend with Him. For every prayer, worship or witness opportunity that you miss, or shorten, because you are challenged with time constraints, please consider kneeling before God at the end of the day, and as you review your day with Him, ask Him to forgive you for not making Him the priority in your life in those areas. You make time for those things that are a priority to you. Time and priority go hand-in-hand, just try using the word priority in place of time when you speak with God. Of top priority to Abraham was his obedience to God, even if it meant sacrificing His beloved son Isaac. What is your top priority, and what would you be willing to sacrifice, or fast, in order to consistently meet the priority of serving God? Is your commitment to God worth the sacrifice? | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Thank You Heavenly Father for finding time to love us, and for making it a priority to provide for our salvation, even at the expense of sacrificing Your very own Son. You found no excuses, and You made the necessary provisions for us in spite of every thing else. Please forgive us for the priorities we have allowed to step in the way of our commitment to You. Wow, what a way for us to return thanks to You. Oh how we need a Savior more today than ever before in the history of this earth. I’m sure that the world must listen to us, and look at us with wonder, and question why we think that we owe our lives to You. Because they notice how we tend to place so little emphasis on the reason that we sing, or worship, or serve, or love our Savior. Thank You Lord Jesus for giving and giving and giving to us. May we set top priorities to worship and praise You for the gift of life, and for eternal life that we will spend with You. From the depths of my heart I praise You Heavenly Father for loving me and providing this earth, and all that’s in it, plus an eternal home for me to be with You and the Father on day. Please speak to the hearts of those who will read this devotional today. Please minister to their needs and draw them closer to You in every way. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Don’t Miss ‘The Boat’!
|
Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-01-19 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 7:21–23 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
|
| OBSERVATION: | |
| This 7th chapter of Matthew records Jesus teaching a crowd that followed him even to the mountains. Addressing this crowd was probably much like one of our pastors who address our congregations each week. However, Jesus knew the hearts and intentions of each one gathered, so He was able to speak directly into their lives. In this particular instance Jesus addressed folk who may have used church, or used their act of following Him as an act to brag about. They knew what it took to be recognized as a follower, and they thought they knew what to say, although Jesus exposed that thought in His teaching here. Jesus pulled no punches! While I believe He was honored that so many wanted to be near Him and hear His teaching, He also knew that He had to correct their misunderstanding of what it takes to meet His Father face to face on that Day. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Much like the crowd that Jesus taught at the edge of the mountain, I believe that many churches are packed with folk each week that may still be under the misguided understanding that church attendance; giving to their local church; wearing a big cross as jewelry every day; or using church-like words interspersed in conversation throughout their day, would convince the world that they know Jesus in a very intimate way. The problem with that, is that the world sees through your pretense almost as much as God does. Friends, it’s not the world that we must impress, and this may come as a shock to you, but it’s not Jesus that you must impress! Jesus knows your heart, friend. Therefore He knows very well when our words are misaligned with our heart and our inner person. Jesus wants us to change from the inside out, and not vice versa. There is only one way to the throne of the Father, and that’s through accepting Jesus, the One whose blood was spilled at Calvary – the sacrifice that He made for the salvation of folk like you and me. You see, this is really simple. As we seek God’s face and His forgiveness, our lives will change from the inside out. His work in our lives, and our aim at living obedient lives to the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, prepares us with honest words and actions where the world will know and believe on the only Son of God, Jesus the Christ. Living that type of life means that it’s not something we calculate, or conjure up, but rather, the love of the Savior that resides inside of us spills out in our words and actions so that the world will know who Jesus is. Are you on the right track friends? If not, I encourage you to go back to the foot of the cross and talk with Jesus about your salvation. Reaffirm your faith in Jesus, so that you can stop trying so hard. Let Him have His way in your life. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we are nothing without You, so of course our efforts without You and Your power will have no impact on unbelievers. Time is precious to all of us, and Lord we would never want to merely pretend to be Your followers to impress those around us, for we are very much like them when witnessing or evangelizing in our own strength. Furthermore, people are smart enough to see through our pretense, for only You can speak to the hearts of Your children. Lord, I commend myself to You again, asking that I do nothing in my own strength, but that I seek Your face daily and allow Your precious Holy Spirit to guide my lips, my actions and my whole self, so that others will see Jesus, not this humble, helpless man. Please tender the hearts of my readers so that they too may realign themselves with Your will for their lives. The world needs You, precious Lord, not us. Use us if needed, but please work in the lives of those that we will come into contact with today, for I ask this in the wonderful, matchless name of Jesus, AMEN. | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
I Got This – Trust Me!
|
Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-01-17 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 6:31–33 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them. 33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
|
| OBSERVATION: | |
| The text in this whole chapter of Matthew is in ‘red’, meaning that Jesus was teaching His disciples about what it’s like in their lives when they place their faith and trust in Him as their Savior, Leader, Provider and Protector. It is evident that, much like today, the disciples were worry-warts, and Jesus had to calm their fears and teach them what it’s like to be a follower of Christ. He taught His audience that when there was evidence of worry, they should recognize that their faith in Him might be faltering, otherwise they would quickly remember that when their priority is in seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness, then all their needs would be met by Him. In fact, Jesus taught that when folk worry about such things as eat, drink and clothing, they are demonstrating evidence of being an unbeliever, as only they tend to worry about such things. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I believe that if a preacher stood in the pulpit and declared the truths of this scripture to his audience in any given service, they would probably swear up and down that he had spies in their home, because I am convinced that we probably worry more about these same things than just about anyone that ever existed on earth. Friends, please correct me if you think I am wrong, but when we worry, we are really saying that we have no faith in God nor ourselves to correct a given situation or need. Look at verse 33 very carefully again: If we seek after God’s kingdom and what God wants, then He will meet all of our needs. God resides in His kingdom, so when we seek His kingdom, we are making every effort to live in a way pleasing to Him, because our top priority is to be where He is. Furthermore, we know for a fact that there will be no sin there, so we strive to live holy lives free from all sin. But what exactly does God want from us? Friends, may I encourage you to make it a priority to get into God’s Word on a daily basis, so that You might stay attuned to what He wants you to do? Seek His face and ask Him to direct you into the deep truths of His Word and enlighten you as to how the Word should be applied to your life each day. The reward for doing these things, according to the latter part of verse 33, is that He will meet all of our needs! Our God is so good friends, He desires an intimate relationship with His children and has promised to meet our needs, if we do our part. There is no way that we should let Him down. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Dear Jesus, You have shown us throughout Your Word that there is no need to worry, and no need to fret, for the same God that put this whole earth together, and the same God who demonstrated His love for us at Calvary, is the same God that declared that He will meet our needs, if we seek after the kingdom of God and what He wants. Lord, please forgive us for our selfishness in demanding so much without any effort to do what we are commanded. You have shown us the way, now please give us the desire to seek Your face and do Your will. This old world has impacted us in ways that have stripped away all Godly desires, but in this scripture today we are reminded that this may be the very cause of our earthly struggles. Lord, I pray that my readers and I will recommit to obedience to our Father, so that we can be more like You in a lost world, but also so You could meet our daily needs. Easy concept, but often harder than most of us can handle. We need You Heavenly Father. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Faith That God Accepts
|
Post Date: |
Monday, 2017-01-16 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Genesis 15:4–6 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
4 Then the LORD spoke his word to Abram: “He will not be the one to inherit what you have. You will have a son of your own who will inherit what you have.”
5 Then God led Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars you cannot count them. Your descendants also will be too many to count.” 6 Abram believed the LORD. And the LORD accepted Abram’s faith, and that faith made him right with God. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| In verses 1-3 it seems like Abram had somewhat of a pity party, feeling sorry for himself. God promised a reward to Abram, but he could see no further than having no one to pass the reward on to. However, God didn’t get impatient with Abram as He went on to promise him a son, even at his advanced age, to pass his blessings on to. Now, let’s be sure that we get the picture here, for Abram was already 85-86 years old at the time, having never had a child with his wife Sarai, yet God promised Abram that he would have a son! What would you have done? Now look at verse 6, for we see where Abram never discounted anything that God told him, not even the obvious questionable promise of him have a son at that age. And because of his faith, Abram was considered by God to be righteous, or right with God! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| We often hear the saying by men “Oh ye of little faith”, when they see us falter or doubt the works of God. Friends, I believe that this story of Abram was uniquely placed in God’s Word for you and I. When we accept Jesus as Lord, and we take our daily concerns to Him, we should be reassured by this story that the action of surrendering our will to God’s will, and the act of asking for things in faith through Jesus, is a demonstration of our faith in the awesome power of the God of this universe. Yes, I realize that we often lay some pretty heavy stuff at the feet of Jesus and ask for His perfect will to be done, however, we often quickly retort to disappointment or rebellion when our prayers are not answered in exactly the same way that we demanded. Praise God that He answers in ways that are perfect and that fits within His design for our lives, and in ways that will bring glory to Himself. Please let’s try and remember that the reason we ask God is to seek His face and His perfect will. Simply demanding that God answer in the way that we ask will create extreme stress and hardship for us, for we are selfish and will only ask using the limitations we can see or expect or dream of. God is much bigger than that, for just as He made us, and the world around us, He also knows what comes next. Being His chosen people who have accepted the Lordship of His precious Son, makes us the ‘apple of His eye’, and as such, He wants for us far more than we could ever dream or imagine! So how’s your faith friend? Would God consider you ‘righteous’ because of the faith you demonstrate in His Son? Perhaps a matter of prayer and commitment today might be in asking God to open our eyes and our heart to trust Him in total faith. Please do me a favor, and consider doing that along with me today! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, You are so good and Your faithfulness endures forever and forever! We serve such an awesome God! Having created us and made every provision for our wellbeing and happiness, yet to see us falter, fail and seek You selfishly must hurt You beyond anything we could imagine. Lord, we are reminded in this story of Abram that You look for, expect and honor our faith. Abram’s faith resulted in You viewing him as ‘righteous’. Lord, please help us to put self aside and to place our faith and trust in You for ALL things. May our faith become so strong, that we never make decisions without feeling reassured that You are in control and directing us towards decision that will bring You glory and draw us closer to You. I ask these things in faith, and through the precious name of Jesus, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Because of God’s Unfailing Love
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Post Date: |
Friday, 2017-01-13 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Psalm 5:7–8 (NLT) |
|
Text: |
7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. 8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| The Psalmist was very open in declaring that it was only because of God’s unfailing love that he could even enter the house of the Lord – His temple, to worship Him. In spite of his victories in battle, David could easily have kept his head lifted high in pride, but instead he continued to plead with God for His direction – the right path that he (David) should follow. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| Friends, I am so afraid that we have assumed way too much pride when it comes to church attendance. At my church, we were reminded last Sunday that our singing, our praise and our worship is intended for an audience of ONE. We don’t need to impress the Brother in front of us, or the Sister beside us, but in all humbleness of heart we walk into the presence of the Almighty God, and in spite of our sin and shameful deeds of that week, we come asking God to accept us – mere sinful humans, as we are, presenting all we have to offer Him – our act of worship. Friends, the mere picture of that, presents us with the fact that although we might seem like peons, yet we are the creation of the God that we have now come to return thanks, and offer our sacrifices of praise. We have nothing to boast of, outside of the awesome work that God has chosen to do through us. The thankfulness of heart from just the fact that He accepted us after forgiving us of our sins, is worth hours of worship and thanksgiving each time we think of it. The willingness to use vessels that were torn by sin and separation from God, is enough to blow our minds, but fill us with thankfulness because of His great love and forgiveness. Friends, we must realize that each and every day that we’re alive deserves our humble, yet ultimate act of worship as we come before a God who loved us enough to accept us as we were when we approached His throne of grace. It was because of God’s amazing grace that He listened to our plea for forgiveness, and accepted us as pure and holy, even as He is holy. To the one who has not sought that forgiveness of sin yet, you might ask ‘What shall wash away my sin’? To which Jesus and His holy saints would respond ‘Nothing but the blood of Jesus’. May I encourage the unbeliever to seek the face of Jesus today and His righteousness, please? May I encourage the saints to take another look at the way that you approach Jesus and His holiness. Re-read how David looked at this, and consider approaching Him in deepest respect and awe, just for who He is! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord God, You created us in Your own image, and I’m sure You were so proud of what You had created! I believe that You are still proud of us, and loves us unconditionally, in spite of our straying away from You and our tendency to lean towards those things that the adversary offers in this sinful world. Thank You for loving us in spite of our evil desires and straying hearts. Lord, You have made it clear in Your Word that Your desire is to see the sinner return to You, seek Your face and Your forgiveness. Some might read this devotional today who have not placed their faith and trust in You. May I ask that You humble their hearts as they read Your word, so that they may surrender their heart to You, please Heavenly Father? I would also love for You to touch the hearts of believers today that may have allowed the freshness of their conversion to fade into the background and now take Your presence for granted. Please dear God, always keep us humble to remember the Love that You showed for us when You hung on the cross of Calvary. As we enter your courts, Your temple, Your church, may our hearts be so fill up with praise and thanksgiving, that our time together with You will be overwhelming worship of the King of all kings! I love You Lord! AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
We Are Blessed When….
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-01-10 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 5:10–12 (MSG) |
|
Text: |
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. 11–12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
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| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had the attention of thousands when He shared, what we know today as, the ‘beatitudes’. These teachings showed the people that when they stand up for what is right, or to what is taught and demonstrated by Jesus, then they will often be living in way that might be totally opposite to what the world has ‘hung its hat on’. For the world looks to win, whether it’s financially, or being at the top of its class, or just in name through immense marketing efforts. Unfortunately, the world will do this at every expense, even if its walking over the downtrodden or seeing the poor and needy do without. Contrary to the normal trend of the world, God teaches that there is eternal hope and joy for those who follow Him and obey His commands. In fact in the preceding 9 verses of Matthew 5, Jesus teaches that in cases of obedience and faith in Him, His followers are more than conquerors, for they are blessed because of their faithfulness to Him. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| When Jesus taught, it was not just for those in His physical audience group, but it was for all His followers who might follow, even till the end of time. Friends, that includes me, and I sincerely pray that includes each of you that may meditate on this devotional also. If not, I urge you to read my ‘Footnote’ and sure up your position, while you are still able to. For many that may read this, you may be like me and know nothing about persecution, other than what we have heard from others who have done missions in a foreign country. I believe that this quoted Scripture today exists because God wants us to realize that if we were to boldly proclaim His Word and live according to His teachings – in other words, live like He did, then we should expect to not fit in with the world at large. This results in us being looked down on when applying for some jobs, when trying to befriend someone who lives very differently, and be rejected by all those that will absolutely refuse to follow such narrow views and practices. Friends, we make a choice everyday, will we accept Jesus and follow His example and His way, or will we simply go with the flow and be tolerant of everything the world teaches. Today that means pretty much anything, and of course that is attractive to most people. God had a plan from the very beginning of time, and He backed that up through the intense love of His very own Son, Jesus, for all who place their faith and trust in Him. Blessed are those who accept that love and who agree to be directed by the Son of the living and true God. For theirs is the kingdom of God, for ever and for ever, Amen! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord, thank You for providing for us, even though You knew right from the beginning that we would be a hard ‘nut to crack’, because of our stubbornness and desire to please everyone but You. Please forgive us for our weaknesses, and please continue to draw us closer to the source of our hope, our joy and our salvation. Lord, we want to be just like You. Please help us ignore the evil desires of this world and instead concentrate on the immense joy that’s in store for all who love, trust and obey You. We can only do this with You by our side to strengthen us and help us overcome the many sinful distractions that come our way every day. I ask these things in faith, and in confidence of who You are, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Faith Under Fire
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Post Date: |
Saturday, 2017-01-07 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Mathew 4:1-3 (NET) |
|
Text: |
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist in the presence of many. At the baptism, God spoke audibly to the people officially announcing that this is His beloved, or dear, Son in whom He (God) is well pleased. I would have thought that the next scene would have been one filled with Jesus performing miracle after miracle, and proving to the people that they weren’t just hearing things from the heavens, but here is proof that Jesus is the Son of God. However, we know from the scriptures that this was not the case, for Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to spend time with Satan – there to be tempted by the evil one. It seems almost like Jesus was deliberately forced into the most vulnerable position imaginable after such a high point in His life. Additionally, He even fasted for 40 days before facing the tempter. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In my observation above, I built the case for us to look at here. I wonder what God wants us to see in this. I don’t believe this was done to make Jesus stronger, or to open His eyes to any spiritual truth, for He is the Son of God. He is part of the trinity, meaning that He is also one with the Father. So obviously this was done as a demonstration for those in attendance, and for those of us that would read the account later, and try to grow from its truth. So let’s look at this in that light. I could only imagine that there were lots of folk there that day at the baptism that doubted this whole announcement from God about Jesus being His Son, don’t you think that they would have been good candidates for a heavy dose of temptation from Satan? Don’t you think that there were some in attendance like Peter, who swore that he would stand by Jesus through thick and thin? Surely they would have been candidates for the serious temptations of Satan so that they could firm up their words into actions? Friends, I believe that this process that Jesus was forced to endure could very easily have been done to show us today that our commitment to our Lord Jesus is more than words alone, but a lifetime commitment that may even come with temptations and/or other actions by Satan that will test our commitment. I believe the word ‘hypocrite’ probably came about because of folk that say they are one thing or the other, but their lives do not exemplify that commitment that they supposedly made. Where do you stand, friend? Stop. Meditate and consider where you stand in your relationship with Jesus today. How would you fare under strong temptations? Draw close to God friend, and He will draw close to you. He will be your guide, especially in times like temptations when you need Him most. | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, I am reminded yet again how much You went through for me, and I thank You for Your grace, and Your underserved mercy. Thank You heavenly Father for Your love for sinners such as I. Please touch the lives of those that will read this devotional today. Please search our hearts and show us our weaknesses – our weak commitments and our open doors for Satan to easily attack. Lord, please prepare us to respond to Satan and his attacks using the example You gave us in this account of Your temptation. May we be more like You in every respect, is my request and my heart’s desire today oh Lord, my Rock and my Salvation. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Nuggets From God's Word 